Over the years, we've seen Ina Garten share a lot of her life on TV, and we've learned a lot about her. She's got a bevy of famous friends — Taylor Swift, Alec Baldwin, Michelle Obama — and a highly covetable relationship with husband Jeffrey (even Stephen Colbert wants in). But one thing we've never seen is Ina with children. And the reason why is simple: She doesn't have any, a choice she and Jeffrey made early in their marriage. Now, she's finally revealing why.

According to People, Garten opened up in an interview on the Katie Couric Podcast: "I really felt, I feel, that I would have never been able to have the life I've had," she told Couric. "So it's a choice, and that was the choice I made." If you think the stigma that surrounds women who decide not to become mothers is harsh now, consider what it was when Garten married. She and Jeffrey met at Dartmouth College ("He saw me walking around the campus and he said to his roommate, 'I wonder who that girl is.'," Garten recalled.) and married in 1968, a year when gender stereotypes were decidedly less progressive than they are today. Even so, Garten says she never felt criticized. "I never felt judged by it — maybe people did but I didn't notice," she said on the podcast, adding that the only thing she missed out on was the camaraderie between the parents of kids' friends.

We can't help but respect Garten for her bold choice — and thank her, too. Can you imagine a world without the Barefoot Contessa? Neither can we.